


"The Old Man and the Sea", a Luke one-shot

by AzureAngel2



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:22:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureAngel2/pseuds/AzureAngel2
Summary: Summary: In his self-imposed exile on a water planet in the Unknown Regions the Jedi master Luke Skywalker tries to distance himself from his past and life in common. And even from the Force itself.Length: one-shotGenre: DramaRating: no PG neededTime frame: The story takes place in 34 ABY.Place of choice: Ahch-ToReader warning: Please excuse my weird English! I am German. English is only my Second language!Disclaimer: SW is owned by George Lucas, Lucas Ltd. and now The Walt Disney Company
Kudos: 1





	"The Old Man and the Sea", a Luke one-shot

_I hear your voice on the wind_  
_And I hear you call out my name_

_Listen my child you say to me_  
_I am the voice of your history_  
_Be not afraid – come follow me_  
_Answer my call and I'll set you free_  
_I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain_  
_I am the voice of your hunger and pain_  
_I am the voice that always is calling you_  
_I am the voice and I will remain_

_I am the voice in the fields when the Summer's gone_  
_The dance of the leaves when the Autumn winds blow_  
_N'er do I sleep throughout all the cold Winter long_  
_I am the force that in Springtime will grow_

_I am the voice of the past that will always be_  
_Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields_  
_I am the voice of the future_  
_Bring me your peace, bring me your peace_  
_And my wounds they will heal_  
_I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain_  
_I am the voice of your hunger and pain_  
_I am the voice that always is calling you_  
_I am the voice_

_I am the voice of the past that will always be_  
_I am the voice of your hunger and pain_  
_I am the voice of the future_  
_I am the voice_  
_I am the voice_  
_I am the voice_  
_I am the voice_

The climate on the island was as unpredictable as the ocean around it, but the four seasons had their own specific traits.

Spring and autumn were both temperate seasons. They could include bright sunny days as much as heavy rainfall. Summer sometimes brought heat waves only to be interrupted by occasional deluges of rain. Winter was a very different affair: With its soft displays of light it could be wonderfully atmospheric. As the general rhythm of days slowed down, the islanders retreated indoors. Far away from the heavy storms that roamed the waters as much as the land.

Right now it was still summer. It brought “a grand stretch in the evenings” as the locals called it. That meant about eighteen hours of daylight with a sunset close to midnight.

Like every day, no matter what season, Luke Skywalker emerged from his stone hut at dawn. He was a creature of habit. Those habits were one of the few things that he had left in life. They helped him to stay alive, to stay focused.

Of course he had tried suicide when coming to the island in the first place, but he had been by far too stupid and inept to go through with it. Or it even had been the Force itself preventing it.

In the end it did not matter. The result was the same. He was still breathing and had a body that needed to be nourished, washed, clothed and housed. His austere life style made it possible for those simple needs to be fulfilled. He did not have much, perhaps less than he used to as a boy on Tatooine, but that was okay.

One of his more unwanted possessions though were his memories. He tried to tune them down and made them fade in the background like the Force itself. There were times when distancing himself was more easy.

Today seemed to be such a day.

After the usual morning errands the Jedi Master paused at the highest point of the island and gazed down at the ocean.

The wind was playful today, had nothing of its usual crisp bite.

As he stood there, just watching the waves, the quote of an old friend of his - Lor San Tekka - came to mind.

_“Ah yes, the sea is always good. There is nothing I can look at for very long, except the sea.”_

It had not been the seasoned explorer himself though who had come up with those beautiful words. They originated from a book that the belated Misses San Tekka had been very fond of.

Lor had lost his Nagina within the first year of the Galactic Empire. The kind kindergarten teacher was said to be killed by a notorious terrorist by the name of Saw Gerrera.

Thoughtfully, the Jedi Master moved a hand through his dense beard.

Around that time of this unfortunate death he had been less than one year old, hidden in the care of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen on Tatooine. While his twin-sister Leia had been whisked off to Alderaan and had been made a princess of royal blood by Senator Bail Organa and his wife, the Queen.

He stepped a bit closer to the edge of the cliff, the abyss right underneath his feet.

The dune sea of Tatooine, made of sand and stone only, was no match for the giant water masses down there. Always in motion with ever changing colours. Even if the surface was as smooth as a mirror, there was still movement underneath.

It was commonly known that Naboo, the birth place of his true mother, hosted a lot of sea monsters in its depths. Such as Opee sea killers and sando aqua monsters. But nobody had found out about the biggest monstrosity of them all until it was too late.

Even though Sheev Palpatine was dead, his unholy heritage lived forth in the First Order. And in madmen like Gallius Rex or, even worse, Supreme Leader Snoke.

The Jedi Master shivered as a large black cloud started to block the two suns of Ahch-To.

The brave sacrifice of his father, Anakin, should have brought balance back to the Force. But seen how things had developed for the galaxy after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the Second Death Star there seemed to be none. The dispute between the light side and the dark side of the Force seemed to be eternal.

“Well, I am out,” he muttered to no one in particular than himself.

The Force ghosts had stopped visiting long ago. And he hoped it would be the same with his failures. As a teacher. As an uncle. As a brother.

Abruptly, the Jedi Master turned his back towards the double suns.

To think of what had occurred between him and Ben was bad. But the memory of his beloved Mara still scourged him.

He stirred his thoughts into much smoother waters.

Lor had accepted the burden of widowerhood with much more grace. As a member of Church of the Force the archaeologist had believed that human beings were in a cycle of death and rebirth called _samsara_. When a person would die, their atman were to be reborn in a different body.

That was a calming thought, even though he was sure that Mara was one with the Force. If she had chosen for a mortal life though she would have rather returned as a graceful animal. Such as fathier or raawk.

And the Jedi of old used to have a Litany against Fear:

_There is no emotion, there is peace._  
_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._  
_There is no passion, there is serenity._  
_There is no chaos, there is harmony._  
_There is no death, there is the Force._

Of course, Luke Skywalker had tried to live by those words, but they had failed him. All those he had ever loved were either dead or out of reach for him.

Biting his teeth together, he started to return to the stone village, where he lived among bird like aliens. A stranger among them, an outsider by choice, but cared for and accepted.

The Lanais had a long history with the Jedi Order on their island, that still hosted the first temple.

As he walked around a corner, he heard a young female ask a much older matron, _“Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”_

The Jedi Master grinned inwardly, glad that he had bothered to learn their sophisticated language. It was a combination of spoken words and hand motions, not unlike the one that the Jawa of Tatooine used for communication.

With deliberate slowness he signalled the two caretakers a good morning, taking satisfaction that the young one blushed extremely.

He walked towards his hut, closing the door right behind him.

Immediately, he spotted something amiss.

A book of his was lying on the floor. It was a strange coincidence for it was the one he had thought about it earlier on. Lor's good-bye present for him: “The Last Unicorn”.

With a grave face, he picked it up and read immediately, _“I know you! I almost knew you as soon as I saw you on the road coming to my door. Since then, there is no movement of yours that has not betrayed you! A pace, a glance, a turn of the head, the flash of your throat as you breathe... even your way of standing perfectly still - they were all my spies!”_

Gingerly, he closed the old fashioned medium.

It was a bad omen. He was sure of it.

Biting his teeth together so much that it hurt, he placed the book back on the window sill.

Lor's wife had been a Palpatine. A fact only known to those very close around her. Such as the Naboo couple that had adopted her. Or to some of her illustrious foster siblings like General Madine.

Gloomy, Luke Skywalker stared at the book cover as if it was a poisonous snake from the swamps of Dagobah.

Of course Sheev Palpatine had known about his much younger niece. She had been the only person allowed to survive massacre on-board a star ship. Love, twisted as it had been, was still a notion not common for a Sith Master.

He tucked the book back where it belonged.

Taking a deep breath, the Jedi Master decided to re-dress in his finest robes. If a visitor was on the way to see him, he better not looked like a strange old hermit. Somehow he had turned into a mix of Ben and Yoda the past years. Not a good thing. Not really.

When he had finished, he walked straight out of his stone hut, not daring to look back at the book that had caused all the trouble.

Yes, summer was indeed almost over and autumn kicked in with a chill in his bones.

**Author's Note:**

> Sources:  
> The song “The Voice” by Eimear Quinn (1996)  
> A quote from the book “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway (1952)  
> A quote from the book “The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle (1968)  
> The Jedi Code  
> A reference to the Litany Against Fear from the book “Dune” by Frank Herbert (1965)  
> Wookieepedia – The Star Wars Wiki  
> Jedipedia, a free German Star Wars-Encyclopaedia


End file.
